


Fate's Fire-Child

by Acting4Hope



Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: (more tags to be added if I continue this), Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Chosen!Aubrey, Fire, Gen, Power Swap
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-31
Updated: 2019-03-31
Packaged: 2019-12-29 00:46:04
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,016
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18297026
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Acting4Hope/pseuds/Acting4Hope
Summary: Aubrey wakes up to the smell of smoke and automatically knows something’s wrong.Or: Aubrey's house is one fire, but not for the reason you think it is.





	Fate's Fire-Child

**Author's Note:**

> um.....idk? 
> 
> I have no honest idea where this idea came from, but it consumed my thoughts in the matter of moments and I suddenly had the urge to write it all down. This is, essentially, sorta like a power swap, I guess??? Though I switched Mama and Minerva around because the Mama-Aubrey dynamic is too powerful for me to not exploit through mentor-student. And also because that means (if I write anymore of this) Minerva will be alive and thats all i need in this cruel cruel world rn.... 
> 
> IDK IF IM GONNA CONTINUE THIS. if it gets enough love via comments and kudos, i may do more. i have no idea where the story would go, but i rlly liked this concept so i'm throwing it out here anyway! 
> 
> so enjoy, and if you do enjoy, lemme know!!!

Aubrey wakes up to the smell of smoke and automatically knows something’s wrong. 

 

Her eyes snap open to the pitch blackness of her room, only barely illuminated by the faintest orange glow from underneath her door. She kicks off her comforter and nearly trips over the remaining sheets as she springs out of her bed to assess the situation. Immediately, she grabs Dr. Harris Bonkers, PhD, from his bed and wraps him in a blanket (careful to not smother the rabbit, but creating a filter so he does not inhale direct smoke). Then, she tries the door. 

 

It’s not hot. Huh, odd. 

 

She kicks it open. 

 

There are flames everywhere. 

 

The fire must have originated from downstairs because the flames have fully engulfed the stairway, as well as the furthest point of the hallway from her. The fire is quickly making its way up the walls, so she wastes no time in dashing down the hall to her parents room. 

 

“Mom! Dad!” She yells as she throws open the door, surveying the room with a glance to make sure there the fire hadn’t already reached them. Luckily, it hadn’t, but it looks like neither person has been awakened by the smoke and flames. Another oddity Aubrey would question further had her house been not currently burning to the ground. 

 

She races to the bed and shakes them both awake, eyes darting around the room in search of a way out. Her parents clumsily awaken, only to be immediately startled by the sight of flames just outside their door. 

 

“A-Aubrey, what’s--” Her father attempts to say as he jumps to his feet, but Aubrey is already shoving Dr. Harris Bonkers into his arms. 

 

“No time! We gotta get out of here!” She yells, making the split second decision to grab her mother’s office chair and throw it through the window. The window crashes as Aubrey feels a gust of air whoosh into the room. “Come on! Out the window!” She turns back to her parents to motion them to leave, but something makes her pause. 

 

Her mother is staring at her with a look of pure dread, like a nightmare has suddenly come true. Her hand hovers over her mouth as chocolate brown eyes gape at her daughter in horror. The world seems to stop as Aubrey watches her mother, wanting to know what’s wrong but unable to form a single phrase. 

 

“God,  _ no _ ,” Her mother’s voice is barely a whisper, but it rings out as if screamed. “You promised it would never be  _ her _ .” Aubrey’s frozen in this moment--frozen in that statement. 

 

And then the world burns. 

 

\--- 

 

And then...she wakes up. 

 

Waking up from a dream in which you wake up is never a fun thing. It feels like time has suddenly restarted and you’re left at the start of it wondering if you’re doomed to live this cycle over and over again. Except you aren’t, so you just wake up paranoid as hell and unable to sleep for the rest of the night. 

 

That’s how Aubrey wakes up. With the added bonus of her screaming because  _ there’s someone at the foot of her fucking bed what the shit _ . 

 

“Ah,  _ shit _ , sorry ‘bout that,” The woman--no, the  _ figure _ ?--says, rubbing at the back of her neck apologetically. “Forgot how bad that awakenin’ is.” Aubrey gapes at the figure standing (hovering?) at the foot of her bed, almost completely positive she’s still dreaming. 

 

It’s a figure made of pure green light in the vague shape of a woman. She has no discernable eyes, but she has a strong chin and a sheepish smile. She has shoulder-length hair and is wearing a cowboy hat. Aubrey can also make out her attire vaguely; pants, a shirt, with some sort of jacket or duster over it, and boots. But, again, Aubrey could be entirely wrong about these thing because, again,  _ this person is made entirely out of light _ . 

 

“I...You’re good?” Aubrey manages, her confusion preventing any rational thoughts from forming. She’s still half tangled in her blankets, red hair frizzy and askew from sleep. The figure shakes her head and lets out a small chuckle, which only confuses Aubrey more because honestly what the  _ fuck is going on who is this ghost person did Aubrey die in that fire oh my god she did she’s dead she’s dead and this is her purgatory what the fuck--  _

 

“‘M guessin’ y’have a lot of...questions, right?” The figure asks, breaking Aubrey out of her spiralling panic. Aubrey nods, for lack of anything better to say, which makes the figure laugh again. Why is this funny? Nothing about this is funny! It’s fucking strange and Aubrey is still pretty sure she’s dreaming-- “Yer not dreamin’, kid, trust me.” 

 

Oh. Did Aubrey say that all out loud? 

 

“Hehe...sorry, I’m just...confused? I’m really lost here and I just woke up from a really shitty dream so….” Aubrey explains, sitting further up on her bed and pushing her blankets aside. Since this is (supposedly) reality, Aubrey takes a quick once-over to make sure her room isn’t on fire. To her relief, everything appears to be just as she left it before bed; desk covered with books, papers, and all other means of detritus; floor littered with laundry she’s yet to wash, and Dr. Harris Bonkers, PhD, snoozing in his little bunny bed. Aubrey lets out a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding in at the sight of her rabbit companion and lets that reality sink in. 

 

“Soooooo what the  _ fuck _ ?” Aubrey says, voicing dipping for emphasis. The figure seems to take this as a cue to be serious, for her smile is gone off her face as she fixes Aubrey with a daunting stare. She walks (definitely walks, though Aubrey can see she’s a few inches off the ground, so maybe it’s floating?) to the right side of Aubrey’s bed and gestures to her window. 

 

“Y’remember yer dream from earlier?” The figure asks, to which Aubrey shakily nods. 

 

“Y-Yeah, the house was on fire, and I ran over to my parents room to get them out when my mom...said something? And it was like time had stopped? And then...I felt burning...Then I woke up.” The figure nods once.

 

“‘S scary as hell, right?” Aubrey nods. “Well, it coulda happened. Woulda happened, had things been different. Might  _ still  _ happen, if there isn’t anyone t’stop it.” Aubrey’s eyes dilate further with each iteration of the phrase, shock and dread plaguing her thoughts with endless flames and the horrid smell of smoke. 

 

“W-What?” Aubrey whispers in horror. The figure turns away from her and to her window, almost as if she’s looking out it. 

 

“Yer planet is on a path to destruction, Aubrey Little. A path that it will continue on unless someone steers it in the right direction.” 

 

“I-I mean, yeah, I  _ know  _ that. Like, with climate change and corporate pollution and all that shit,” Aubrey replies. The figure freezes, then shakes her head. 

 

“N-No--I mean,  _ yes _ , y’should probably work on that shit ‘cause it’ll kill it eventually, but that’s not--just hold yer thoughts ‘till the end of my little spiel, okay? Shit’s about to get...kinda confusing.” The figure explains. Aubrey pantomimes zipping her mouth shut and gives the figure a thumbs up. “...Aight. So, as I was sayin’ earlier, yer planet is doomed to die. But, alongside  _ that _ , another planet--tethered to your own--is  _ also  _ doomed to die.  _ Unless _ someone takes action and puts both planets back on track. It’s sorta like a yin-and-yang thing, y’know? If y’lose one, the other is gone too. Or maybe that’s not the proper comparison; I was never really good with keepin’ up with those…” She shakes her head again. “ _ Anyway _ , so that’s why I’m here. So neither of yer planets dies and throws the whole universe out of balance.” She smiles at Aubrey and crosses her arms. “...Okay,  _ now  _ you can talk.” 

 

“I--” Aubrey starts, and then she realizes she doesn’t know what she wants to say, so then she closes her mouth. There are too many concepts to grasp at once, and Aubrey’s ADD brain is not equipped to tackle everything at once without getting lost. “So...Earth is doomed.” 

 

“Yep,” 

 

“And so is another planet?” 

 

“Uh-huh,” 

 

“And that planet is…?” 

 

“Yer not gonna know it, but it’s Sylvain. I’ll get to that later.” 

 

“Okay. So both planets are doomed--” 

 

“Yes,” 

 

“--until someone makes things better--” 

 

“Got it in one,” 

 

“--and that person is you?” 

 

The figure frowns. “Not... _ exactly _ .” Then Aubrey frowns because she was  _ so certain  _ they were on the same page by now. 

 

“Well, if it’s not  _ you _ , then…” And then Aubrey thinks about it for a moment. And then another. And another. 

 

If it was just this lady, then she wouldn’t be here. She’d be...fixing Earth, or whatever. 

 

So if it’s not her, and she’s in Aubrey’s room, then that can only mean-- 

 

“ _ Oh _ .” Aubrey says, her stare vacant as the figure smiles again. 

 

“Think yer just about caught up, now. So, Aubrey Little, you’ve been Chosen to save not only yer own planet, but the planet yours has been bound to for quite some time. I’m here to help prepare ya for the challenges yer bound to face in the years ahead. Think of me like a...mentor, or a tutor. Whatever works easier for you. But I’ve come here to ask if yer ready to take up Destiny’s call and fight the good fight.” She sticks a spectral hand out toward Aubrey, who looks at it, frozen. “Whaddya say?” 

 

Now, Aubrey isn’t really the one for split-second decisions. She’s more of the type to sit down and factor the positives from the negatives, taking the time to make sure each probability is accounted for before choosing a beneficial option-- 

 

“Okay!” Just kidding, Aubrey is impulsive as hell and who would she be to say know to  _ being Chosen _ ?! What the hell does that even mean!? It sounds fucking  _ awesome _ , though, so who cares! 

 

She reaches out to shake the figures hand, only for it to pass right through. Both parties watch this interaction and say nothing. 

 

There is silence. Then, the figure snorts. 

 

“Forgot I don’t got skin in this form.” She says. Aubrey giggles. “Handshake not needed, I guess. Got yer verbal confirmation, so I guess that’s as good as any.” Aubrey nods, just as the figure seems to realize something. “Shit! Forgot to introduce myself!” 

 

“Yeah, I thought I was just gonna have to call you ‘Weird Ghost Mentor’ forever.” Aubrey chimes in. The figure makes a motion as if she had rolled her eyes, which only works to befuddle Aubrey because she doesn’t  _ have  _ eyes.  

 

“Well, m’names Madeline, but no one’s called me that in ages,” The figure says with a bemused grin. “Folks typically just call me Mama.” Aubrey’s eyes light up at the sound of her mentor’s name: Mama. It sounds homey. Familiar. Quaint. And, somehow, badass as hell. 

 

“Hiya Mama!” Aubrey replies with an excited wave. “I’m Aubrey--or, I guess you  _ knew  _ that, since you called me by my full name earlier...Hey, how  _ did  _ you know that?” 

 

“Destiny powers, ‘r some bullshit like that,” Mama answers with a shrug. Light filters through Mama’s form, which startles both women into looking out the window, where the early glow of morning begins to peek over the horizon. Mama curses under her breath. “I should let you get back t’sleep; we can figure out a meeting schedule later.” She turns back around to face Aubrey. “Any other questions before I split?” 

 

Aubrey thinks for a moment, then brings her hand up to chin to  _ really  _ think. 

 

Then, it hits her. 

 

“Can I bring Dr. Harris Bonkers on my world-saving adventures, or is that against the rules?” 

 

\---

 

The world may not be burning today, but one girl shines bright with the fires of Fate coursing through her veins. Hopefully, she is able to stoke the flames before they consume too much of her life. 

**Author's Note:**

> If you guys like my writing, feel free to send requests on [my tumblr](http://lesbian--susie.tumblr.com/)!!! Or if you just wanna come yell at me abt amnesty-related stuff, feel free idc


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